Corporate Compliance

Don't let mobile devices walk away with important information

Compliance Monitor, January 18, 2006

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Mobile devices such as laptop computers, personal digital assistants (PDA), and tablet personal computers (PC) offer convenience and increased efficiency for most who use them. But along with the benefits come potential HIPAA risks and problems. Organizations that choose to allow the use of mobile devices must have policies that provide minimum standards for use, says Kevin Beaver, CISSP, independent information security (IS) consultant with Principle Logic, LLC, in Acworth, GA. Part of your policy should cover required technical safeguards, including the following:

  • Power-on passwords. Passwords for turning on a device provide a good first layer of security, Beaver says.
  • System passwords. Beyond having a password for turning on a device, require log-on passwords for operating systems (e.g., Microsoft Windows®), he says.
  • Hard drive/storage device encryption. This is a must in the event of loss or theft, says Beaver.
  • Antivirus/antispyware software.
  • Personal firewall software. "If you don't have it, a hacker could connect right into the system and do a lot of damage by stealing or deleting information," he says.
  • Network encryption. This applies more to wireless devices, Beaver says. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) are examples of protocols for securing wireless networks. WEP is not ideal but should be a minimum requirement, he says.

    • This tip is an excerpt from Strategies for Health Care Compliance.



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